A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China (20 page)

I
N HANGZHOU, LIFE had resumed its usual rhythm after the birthday festivities. One morning in August, Purple Jade sat by the small pond in her courtyard embroidering under the cypress tree.

“Uncle Dragon is coming, Uncle Dragon is coming!” Silver Bell skipped in trilling.

“Yes, my heart-and-liver.” Purple Jade looked up, “Your Dragon uncle is coming from Shanghai to have dinner with us.”

“M-ma, may I please go with Father to meet Uncle Dragon at the station?”

“Of course, Silver Bell,” her mother said with a smile. “Maybe Golden Bell would like to go with you.”

“Oh goody! I’m going to tell
jei-jei
.” Silver Bell skipped away clapping.

She almost bumped into Comely Brook entering the courtyard.

Orchid, renamed Comely Brook at the wedding, became pregnant shortly after her marriage. Her body took on a rounded womanly aspect.

“Look at our second
tai-tai
, Winter Plum,” Purple Jade said to her new personal maid. Her own eyes avoided Comely Brook, who was a picture of blossoming health. “She has sprouted good fortune. She’s lovely to behold.” Purple Jade never allowed a negative note to slip into her speech. Whenever the sight of Comely Brook made her feel old, she would reproach the red-eyed demon. She would only speak of blessings coming to the family.

“Yes,
Tai-tai
has been blessed,” replied the maid. “Second
tai-tai
has sprouted double good fortune.”

“With so much harmony in this house, I’m sure we’ll have a son this time.”

“Morning peace,
Tai-tai
.” Comely Brook curtsied. “I just came from a walk in the back garden. The mulberry tree is filled with leaves now. We forgot to take the silkworm eggs from the cold house after the birthday celebration.”

“Brook-
mei
, how often must I remind you not to call me
tai-tai
as before. When the young master arrives, he will be embarrassed his mothers do not address each other properly.”

“
Tai
, I mean
Jei
. . . Oh, that’s not important.” Comely Brook blushed. Her heart quivered whenever she thought of the kindness of her former mistress. Yes, Purple Jade had been her mother, sister, teacher, friend and mentor. But she would always address her as Mistress. “I’m not used to such honor.” She lowered her head. “The young master must know you are his true mother.”

Oh-me-to-fo, let it be a son!
Comely Brook prayed silently several times a day. To bear an heir for the family would be a kindness repaid. A son would elevate her present status. Indeed, a son would mean power and honor! But what if . . . no, she wouldn’t think of it. Another daughter would mean ingratitude, disloyalty. Oh, best not think about it.

“Yes.” Purple Jade savored her eminence and was glad that her moment of sore-hearted envy had passed without a hint of betrayal. “We shall have a son. Did you say the mulberry tree in the back garden is already full of leaves?”

“Yes,
Tai-tai
. We’re at least four months late. The weather is so warm now, the eggs should hatch in a few days.”

“Winter Plum, go and help second
tai-tai
take down the eggs from the cold house. She shouldn’t strain herself in her condition.”

“
Tai-tai
, we saved an extra sheet of eggs last year. Should we prepare three baskets?” Comely Brook was happy to resume her role as assistant.

“Yes, I shall supervise the preparation myself,” Purple Jade responded. “Ask my daughters and their maids to join us in the south workroom by the back garden.”

Later, the baskets were lined with soft rice paper; twigs were attached to the baskets to make three treelike tents. The eggs looked like tiny sesame seeds, thickly speckled on strips of paper. Purple Jade placed them in the baskets.

“Silver Bell and Peony will come for the first watch in the morning; Golden Bell and Iris should come around noon; second
tai-tai
and I will do our embroidery here in the afternoon. Since it is already August, there is no need to cover them at night with silk blankets. Let’s hope there won’t be any violent summer storms to upset the baskets.” Purple Jade gave the orders, which were essentially the same from year to year.

Several days later, tiny black, antlike worms emerged. Soft goose-down feathers were used to brush them off the egg paper. Feathers and paper flowers, the silkworms’ traditional ornaments, were then inserted all around the basket.

The women went into the back garden to harvest mulberry leaves. Silver Bell and Peony giggled and laughed as they climbed the mulberry tree. They picked the tenderest young leaves, and rushed them into the south room to shred them for the baby worms.

“M-ma,” Silver Bell called from the mulberry tree, “is Uncle Dragon coming this evening?”

“I think so, my heart-and-liver,” her mother replied. The watery morning sun bathed the garden in a soft flossy hue. A few bees buzzed amid the flowering honeysuckle. A cloyingly sweet fragrance filled the air. Purple Jade stretched and walked among the younger women. By now, she was used to the looser binding on her feet, and walked with deliberate hammering motions.

The birthday-cum-wedding propelled her adjustment. During the hectic months of preparation and celebration, adrenaline had helped her play the role of wife, hostess, and mother of the bride. And now, without Orchid to lean on, she had grown used to walking on her own. She enjoyed the freedom of movement, and the sense of total mastery in her household. Her newfound power and independence felt almost supernatural.

As far as she knew, no daughter-in-law in any traditional home had the privilege of having a separate home built to her specifications. But Righteous Virtue had insisted upon this Western practice. He suggested the simpler architectural lines of the early Ming period. Their house was designed with a traditional north and south orientation. Wing-like, earthen-tiles topped the angular lines of posts and beams separated by plain white walls. Rosewood antique pieces added warmth to their living quarters. Ancient scrolls of calligraphy and watercolors, done by generations of Huang ancestors, adorned the walls. Classic blue and white porcelain urns holding miniature trees and flowering bushes were displayed throughout the house. The gardener periodically changed the exhibit when plants reached their full glory. In this back garden, Purple Jade was delighted to feel her growing feet stomping past the budding potted hibiscus, ready for show.

“I want Uncle Dragon to see our new worms.” Silver Bell resumed her patter, recalling her mother from her labyrinthine thoughts. “Do you think he’ll pay more for our colored cocoons this year?”

“I don’t think the colors make much difference to the weavers,” Purple Jade answered. “The factory is very clever with dyes, but I’m sure you could charm your uncle into paying more for anything.”

“Oh M-ma, I can’t wait to see the cocoons. Last year I saved one pink, two light green, and several yellow ones. The moths from those cocoons produced our eggs. This year, I hope all will be rainbow-colored!”

“That’s not likely. The colored cocoons are rare mutations. Of course, if we do get colored cocoons, that’ll be very lovely indeed. Perhaps your uncle Dragon will order the silk untouched, and we could weave a scarf for you.”

“Oh that would be so beautiful—”

Golden Bell ran into the garden with a letter in her hand. “M-ma, M-ma, Iris ran away!”

“What?” Purple Jade gasped. She shook her head as her hand swept the air in front of her. “No! We never mistreat anyone in this house. She must have gone into town without telling you.”

“No, M-ma.” Golden Bell handed her a letter. “I didn’t see Iris all morning, so I went to look for her in her room. This is the letter she left me.”

“
Pss
, the brazen vixen. The letter is written in English!” Purple Jade thrust the letter back to her daughter.

“Well, Iris studied with me every day since Miss Tyler came.” Golden Bell smiled. “She’s probably better educated than all — I mean Silver Bell.”

Everyone knew she meant to say “all of you,” since no one else could read the letter.

“Give me the letter.” Purple Jade stood erect, straightening her shoulders. “Your father will read it tonight and decide what to do.” She would not give her daughter the opportunity to flaunt her audacious foreign learning.

“Iris has gone to Shanghai,” Golden Bell almost shouted. She handed her mother the letter with a flourish. “She says she’s grateful and will write again when she finds work. She took my pearl earrings that I promised her long ago.”

“Ungrateful minx! She stole your earrings too? What will people think when they hear of such treachery in this house?” Purple Jade fidgeted with a plum branch. “Why didn’t she ask for her freedom? People will say we’ve been mean masters.” She would have stamped her feet for effect, but a wave of pain in her legs forced her to sit.

“
Tai-tai
, perhaps Iris was drinking vinegar. She might have hoped to become the concubine,” Comely Brook said, giving her mistress a sidelong glance.

“Iris is already eighteen.” Golden Bell pouted. “The way you fought Father about keeping me home must have made her feel like an imprisoned bird.”

“That is your interpretation.” Purple Jade glared at her daughter. “It is bad form to make a fuss about Iris. We have lost enough face as it is. The servants will snicker behind our backs.”

“I’ll go to Shanghai and find her. I’ll talk to her.”

“You will do no such thing! It is your father’s fault that the maids have become so uppity. We can’t call attention to this disgrace, but we must do something to show the servants this will never happen again!”

“
Tai-tai
is absolutely correct.” Comely Brook came forth with her usual support. “You see the two young mulberry trees there? We’ve forgotten the gardener is Iris’s uncle. He has cultivated these trees for three years, though we have more than enough leaves from this one tree for our small crop of silkworms. Perhaps some apricot trees might be prettier and more useful in this back garden.”

Purple Jade understood at once. “Winter Plum, go get the gardener!”

When the gardener came, he knelt before his mistress and touched his head to the ground. “
Tai-tai
, forgive my unworthy niece. After two generations of service in this household, my family and I had no idea that Iris had become so brazen. It must have been that new chauffeur. He puts disloyal ideas into her head!”

“One serving maid in this house is a small matter!” Purple Jade replied in a stern voice. “Golden Bell gave Iris her freedom. You’re certainly not to be held responsible for your niece.”

“Thank you,
Tai-tai
.” The gardener kowtowed again.

“But gardener, why do we have three mulberry trees in this garden? Are you cultivating them to sell the leaves? Tell all the servants that such skimming is not to be tolerated! Chop down the two small mulberries there and replace them with two apricot trees!”

“Yes, yes.
Tai-tai
is most wise. The apricots will be prettier.” He touched his head to the ground once more. “Somehow, the mulberries had taken root. I’ve let them grow without thinking.”

“Then see to it right away.”

“Thank you,
Tai-tai
, for your kindness. All the servants will see the fallen trees and I shall inform the master if we hear anything about Iris.”

When Righteous Virtue came home, the women immediately surrounded him. Golden Bell, Silver Bell and Purple Jade spoke all at once.

“Father, Iris ran away!”

“Father, the silkworms hatched today.”

“My lord, I ordered the two extra mulberry trees cut, and two apricot trees planted.”

“Wait, wait, one at a time. It’s good news the silkworms have hatched, but what’s this about Iris running away, and why do you want to chop down the mulberry trees?”

Purple Jade produced Iris’s letter. “Iris left this note to Golden Bell. We think she has run away to Shanghai. We also found Iris’s uncle cultivating two extra mulberry trees in the back garden as a cash crop for himself.” Purple Jade opened her silk painted fan and gave it a perfunctory flutter. She seldom needed to give an accounting of her housekeeping practices, and certainly never before her daughters. She needed air and looked to Comely Brook for support. Comely Brook came forward quickly to stand beside her former mistress, and fanned both of them with her big paper fan.

Purple Jade continued: “I normally permit a certain amount of private enterprise among the servants, if it doesn’t interfere with the proper maintenance of our household.”

Righteous Virtue accepted his wife’s explanation without comment. He read the letter and laughed. “Ha, Iris writes beautiful English! I wish Silver Bell had taken advantage of Miss Tyler’s tutoring.”

“This is no laughing matter, my lord,” Purple Jade protested in an injured voice. “All this foreign learning brings nothing but trouble into this house.”

“Times have changed, Jade-
mei
,” her husband answered. “You did right to discipline the gardener. All the servants will understand this as kindly punishment; you’ve saved our face.” He beamed proudly on his clever wife, but Purple Jade averted her eyes. She brought her fan to cover her mouth, giving Comely Brook an imperceptible smile of gratitude.

“However”— Righteous Virtue began to pace —“Iris is obviously a bright girl. It is important to have grateful allies rather than spiteful renegades in these uncertain times. I’ll ask the chauffeur what he knows about this affair, and we’ll get in touch with her. Dragon might use her in his silk factory in Shanghai.”

“Please, Father, ask Mother to send me to school in Shanghai.” Golden Bell tugged on her father’s sleeve. “Uncle Dragon and Iris both will look after me.”

“Those two will be the worst influence on a young maiden!” Purple Jade slapped her fan shut.

“Hush, Golden Bell.” Righteous Virtue touched his daughter’s hand, but looked steadily into Purple Jade’s eyes. “The East Ocean Devils are already attacking Shanghai; they’ll overrun Hangzhou in no time if Shanghai falls. We may all have to hide out in the foreign concessions for safety.”